Driving and My Redemption List

Rather than call this next post Isolation Day 4-9 I'm breaking them up. They are what God showed me over the time and I'm going to break them up. Blogs will follow in this order:
1. Reflecting
2. Focus and Persevere: What is Your Filter?
3. Wait, Work, Watch
4. Living in Righteousness
5.Family and the Next Generation
6. Teaching and Passing It On

I really couldn't bring myself to write about those days just yet. They were so bittersweet. Diving back into them tonight it just seemed almost depressing after the amazing drive I had Saturday morning. It was just awesome!! We drove to drop the kids off and headed to Abilene. For those of you that have made this drive and know where we are, you are not allowed to laugh. I have always thought that it is a pretty drive and appreciate the progression from nothing to something to green...yes green compared to where we live. The beauty I appreciate. Mainly just driving has blessed me because God speaks. Especially through music. I love The Message but quickly flipped over to the ipod list....My Redemption. That is what it is. Reminds me of where I came from and just how much I have to be thankful for. It pulls something deep inside of me out til I shout....God loves me and died for Me! How awesome! Now that's what LOVE IS! It draws a DEEPER calling for this life....for the day to day to day. To change it, to not just settle for it, but to allow God to use it and make something of it for HIM.
    For those of you who really know me, I grew up with a strong music background. Piano, band, choir, etc. (The last few months have been hard because that's something that was attacked first. The vocals. I lost range first, then hoarseness and the track back up since surgery has been very hard. It attacked the one thing that whisked me into His presence the fastest...just singing and worshipping......remember Satan....you don't win. You LOSE!! The scar tissue and tightness have not been fun. I notice these things to the Nth degree because of course... my training teaches me to be very aware of them. Through great care and great hands (thanks Kaysi!!!) I am getting my range back and enjoy it again very much.....especially in my car! I have this old camp shirt that perfectly describes me. It has a little guy singing and head bangin' sitting in a little beetle that says "I sing in my car". )  Music lights something in my soul. It is my language. When I can't express myself, music can express it and pull it out me. I think that music has a way with all of us.

But driving Saturday reminded just how much My Redemption List has spoken to me over the last several months. This last year. Of course it has pulled me through hard days, tough decisions, hard study days/nights, reminded me of His call on me, CFMT, etc but that list reminded me of JUST HOW MUCH GOD has overcome in and through and despite of me. HE JUST PROVES HOW AWESOME HE IS.  Driving Saturday we headed out before sunrise and of course right as the sun was coming up, breaking across the landscape it came to "You Lift Me Up" by The Afters....the part of the song that says Waiting for the sunrise, waiting for the day....and later when it says... I can feel an overtaking of your Love. Yes Lord! I can! It was awesome! (Word of the blog today!)

Other songs on the list like Glory to God by Exodus, Redeemer by Santus Real, Your Great Name by Natalie Grant, Blessing by Laura Story, You Reach for Me By Peter Furler (just to name a few) launch me back to the drive to Steamboat.....to the Christian school we drove to every morning during that week of CFMT. Ramping up for the extreme and hard day ahead. There are not words to describe that week. The songs however come close and just send me back to that week in particular. They transport me to that week of remembering HOW close and How tight and HOW loved and HOW much I felt the Lord that week. That list reminds me of just HOW MUCH I saw God overcome FOR ME that week. Not just that week. But even UP TO that week for me to even be there and know there was nowhere else I was supposed to be.  He is so faithful to call us to do things that we are passionate about....but that week I wondered so many times....why this certification? Why this pressure? Why this much material? Of course I knew why....I had been shown many times....through IPA's excellence and passion; a rare form and I would not go another direction until one was complete through IPA. That week showed me that it will never be complete. Not with certifications or teaching or as Christians. There is daily calling to step it up, to keep pressing in, keep improving, to persevere, to encourage others to do the same, to keep striving ALL for HIS GLORY! Nothing else. GLORY TO GOD! Nothing else matters! That list played over and over and over that week and transported me into HIS presence. Where I need to always remain. It reminded me that if it was not for Him then it wasn't worth it. Nothing ever is if the striving is not truly committed to HIM. It flashed me back to the drive from Steamboat back to Denver after the week had ended and as we drove through God's beauty we all just worshipped Him. Relieved it was over. Cut loose to just Praise.

Driving with that playlist just blessed me to just praise again. To cut loose all that did not really matter. Worshipping has a way of refocusing our heart to Him and letting our hearts do what they were meant to do without the excess. To shed ourselves. I thank the Lord for worship and knowing us and gearing us to never be complete unless we are worshipping Him. Singing and praising just helps us do that and fill us back up. To be filled with Him to be able to pour him back out instead of our sourness. Instead of our bitterness. Instead of our focuses. Our busyness. It allows us to be filled with the fullness of HIM so that when we pour out our other forms of worship....studying, working, playing, teaching, treating, serving, coaching, cooking, driving......that we have something better to offer than the stress that all those can produce. So as that 3 hour drive reminded me....it is just GOOD to worship God and be in His presence and to be reminded of HOW GOOD God IS, Has been, and will always be! It is good to be exhausted by a good worship session! Enjoy your "Redemption List" this week and praising and worshipping HIM!